Splatoon 2 Nintendo Switch bundle, controllers announced

Following the announcement of the (for now) Russia-exclusive Mario Kart 8 Bundle for the Nintendo Switch, we’ve now got another confirmed bundle – and this one will definitely be coming to the UK.

Splatoon 2 is one of Nintendo’s major releases of the year, and one that they have justifiably high hopes for. The original Splatoon performed well on the Wii U, despite poor adoption rates for the console itself, so Nintendo are hopeful that with a potential wider audience, Splatoon 2 may get the attention it deserves.

The game launches on July 21st, just in time for the school holidays, and for those who haven’t yet picked up a hard-to-find Switch, there’ll be the option to buy the game as part of an integrated console-game bundle.As of yet, a price hasn’t been announced, but with the Switch currently still at its RRP of £279.99 and Splatoon 2 launching at £49.99, a price of around £330 would be a fair estimate. Although Nintendo is selling the Switch at a profit currently (it’s not unusual for consoles to cost their manufacturers more than they sell for when first launched before production is streamlined and costs lowered), meaning they do have some pricing wiggle room, the incredible demand for the console means they’re unlikely to start dropping prices just yet.

The announcement wasn’t just for non-Switch owners either. Since Nintendo announced a pair of neon yellow Joy-Con controllers to tie in with the release of ARMS, to supplement the grey pair and the neon red/blue pair that come with the console, there has been an assumption that the company would continue to turn out themed Joy-Con. That certainly appears to be the case, with neon green and pink Joy-Cons announced to coincide with Splatoon 2’s release.

Curiously, the box art shown for the integrated bundle features the red and blue Joy-Cons, not the pink and green. Whether the Splatoon bundle will be available with the new colours, or the grey Joy-Cons, remains to be seen.

Also announced was the first special edition version of the Pro Controller and the official case for the Switch, both themed around Splatoon 2. The amount of tie-ins, the likes of which weren’t afforded to either The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, suggest Nintendo has considerable faith in Splatoon 2 to be a major hit.